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Sunday, May 21, 2017

How ladybugs unfold their wings

This is really interesting because it seems like this is a relatively new discovery, with potential uses from "aeronautics to umbrellas". For those wondering how they fold them back up, it looks like they actually close the shell part first and then retract the wings. The article has a really cool video with a ladybug doing it with a clear stand-in that's actually made of nail art resin. After reading the article and watching a little of the actual source material, the wings are in essence origami folds, and when the pressure of the shell is applied, the retraction of the wings ends up folding in on itself. It's really neat actually.